In 2009, the latest year numbers are available, minority youths in five sampled counties were detained almost twice as long as whites before their cases were heard. That meant juveniles of color stayed an average of 33.5 days in detention. Young white suspects were detained 18.2 days on average. It hasn’t helped that the Office of Public Defender has been roiled by budget cuts. About 550 attorneys represent adults and juveniles throughout the state who can’t afford a private attorney.

But the solutions that exist aren’t about throwing nonexistent dollars at a pie-in-the-sky solution. They are all about spending the money at hand in a much smarter way. Detention is costly and shapes young people in a way that has nothing to do with redemption and everything to do with recidivism. Alternate programs for processing youth, such as juvenile drug courts, involve intense supervision and surround youth with community and court services. That method is cost-effective and works toward keeping kids out of the system.

Buried within the report are the numbers that tell the story: Holding one juvenile in detention for one year costs $30,000 to $50,000. The cost for juvenile drug court participation is $3,000 to $5,000 a year. Another pilot program, the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, has found success with home detention and electronic monitoring.

A large portion of the juvenile justice community needs to be educated about the smarter way of protecting kids and society. Detention of juveniles for nonviolent crimes must become a last resort.